Fly Fishing Knots Help Angler Secure Their Catch

Many stories about the one that got away would not be told if the angler had good knowledge of a few basic fly fishing knots. It is not always because they were in a hurry to get their line in the water that made the knot unable to withstand the pressure of a larger than expected fish. Sometimes it is a matter of simply not knowing any better. Whether the knots is for fixing the line to the rod, to a leader or attaching the fly, the strength of the fly fishing knots can make huge difference in the end of the story.

One of the most common fly fishing knots is the arbor knot used to secure the fly line to the arbor of the reel. Take the line around the spool and tie an overhand knot around the line. Then tie a second overhand knot a few inches past the first knot.

Lightly wet the line and pull the second know tight and then hold the spool in one hand, pull the line with tight with the other hand. The first knot will prevent the line from skipping through the second knot and the end can be trimmed and the reel loaded with line. The wet line will provide lubrication and help form tighter fly fishing knots.

Flies With Bent Eyes Require Different Knots

One of the other fly fishing knots used most often is the turle knot, used to attach flies to the line. Pass the lead end of the line through the eye of the fly and then make at least two wraps around the standing line, passing the leading end through the now formed loop, which forms an overhand knot. Once you pull this snug, you can pass the fly through the large remaining loop, tighten it down and trim the extra line. This type of fly fishing knots allows the fly to move more realistically on the water.

One of the keys to tying successful fly fishing knots is to wet the line with saliva or lake water before securing the knot. This helps lubricate the line making it easier to pull tight and once the line dries, will be stronger than a line tied when it is dry.

When using thinner line pulling the fly fishing knots too tight may result in a broken line. However, before casting the fly onto the water it is always better to check the strength of the fly fishing knots by pulling on the line to a pressure at least equal to the tested strength of the line.

Fly Fishing Knots

Learning how to do fly fishing knots, or any fishing knots for that matter, is an essential skill that any fishing enthusiast should have. Different knots serve different purposes like tying two lines together, shortening a particularly long line, to name two. Below is a list of some of the most popular knots used in fly fishing. A description accompanies each of them to show how they are used in real-world fishing situations.

Slip Knot: this is probably one of the most basic and most important knots in fishing. This knot is used to fasten the line to the spool.

Constriction Knot: this is the type of knot which is used to tie two lines together, especially those made with different materials. However, its use isn't advised on modern lines made of different materials.

Albright Knot: not to be associated with the former British Prime Minister, this knot is primarily used to tie the backing to the fly line. It can also be used to join lines of different diameters.

Surgeon's Knot: a simple and neat way of tying to lines together. It can be best described as a double overhead knot.

Barrel Knot: also known as the Blood Knot, this is another way of tying two lines together. Although weaker and more complicated than the Surgeon's Knot, it is a neater way of tying a knot.

There are several more knots that fishing enthusiasts do, but those listed above are by far the most popular and effective.